Denon DCD-50 CD / DAC and PMA-50 Amplifier Small and Beautifully Formed!

We've just taken delivery of these two components at Brentwood and have to say we're mightily impressed. 

The DCD-50 CD Player has a high resolution 32 bit DAC and will play CDs as well as data discs, whilst the PMA-50 is a digital integrated amplifier with an onboard DAC a USB connection for computers and built in bluetooth.

They are beautifull small components as well, equally at home on a book case, or office desk, as you can see even Boswell looks big beside them, and he is a bear of small proportions.

The big surprise comes when you fire them up, a big rich full bodied sound from a couple of tiny components, the amplifier will drive speakers much bigger than itself with ease, and the CD player produces a very musical performance. Oh and they can be used on their sides as well, the little OLED display flips through 90 degrees which is a very neat touch.

Come in and have a listen, we think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Isotek Mains Power Conditioning Event Update

With just a week to go until our Isotek event on the 4th and 5th September we have some exciting news updates for you!

Isotek distributors Sound Fowndations have confirmed that they will be bringing the entire range of Isotek products all the way up to the awesome Super Titan and Genesis!

Prepare to be amazed as you hear the improvements each Isotek upgrade makes from replacing a standard plastic trailing socket all the way up to the world's most powerful audiophile mains conditioner, Super Titan and the world's first multiple mains generator, Genesis!

As if this isn't enough to tempt you in we will have exclusive Isotek offers during the event and a prize draw with first prize of a Polaris power bar with mains conditioning, worth £294.95, and second prize of a Premier mains cable which retails for £99.95!

It's a great opportunity to experience the enormous audio benefits of mains conditioning, meet and quiz Isotek experts, enter the prize draw, and to take advantage of the event offers.  

We look forward to welcoming you in store on either 4pm-8pm Friday 4th September or 10am-6pm Saturday 5th.

See you soon,

Alan and John 

What is the ultimate source? Discover the truth with Isotek at Audio T Southampton

Debates continue to this day amongst hi-fi enthusiasts as to which source is the best.

Many say good old vinyl but streaming quality has advanced in leaps and bounds and the current choice of great CD players and DACs shows that there is still plenty of life left in the silver disc.  

Whichever format you favour, they are all capable of providing enormous listening pleasure and musical involvement.  We will explore and demonstrate the quality of some outstanding turntables, CD players, DACs and Streamers at our forthcoming audio events so do check out our store page regularly to ensure you don't miss out on our Autumn Audio Extravaganza!

We will have exclusive offers to tempt you as well as prize draws and the opportunity to listen to some great music on awe inspiring systems!

Our first event, on the 4th and 5th September, features Isotek products with experts from the company present, to explain the science and demonstrate the performance of their impressive range of power cables and and mains conditioners.

This event aims to dispel arguments about the relative benefits of different source components and to demonstrate that the real source for any hi-fi system is not the digital or analogue front end.  In fact it's the mains power supply.

We all know the source first principle of sytem hierarchy, and, however much we all tweak our hi-fi systems, in the search for hi-fi nirvana, Isotek will show that the first priority should be to tackle problems with the mains supply.  It really is a case of rubbish in rubbish out.

Without the mains supply we all take for granted our hi-fi systems would remain silent but there's a lot more to the electricity supply than just the provision of voltage.  We are all bombarded with RFI and EMI from the ever growing number of electrical, especially wireless, items in use preventing our hi-fi systems from working optimally, however much money we spend on other upgrades and tweaks.

Isotek have solutions to deal with all aspects of cleaning up the dirty and worsening mains supply and getting your system singing.

Just £99.95 for an Isotek Evo3 Premier power cable to replace the throwaway mains lead provided with most products will yield huge benefits.   

Isotek will show how much more can be done to ameliorate the negative effect of dirty mains on your musical enjoyment with better power cables such as Sequel at £199.95.

Prepare to be amazed when a system is transformed by the mightily impressive Sigmas Mains Conditioner!

The improvements Isotek mains products can make to any system, regardless of price, are so profound that we really don't want you to miss this golden opportunity to quiz the experts from Isotek and we are sure that you will be as stunned as we were when you here what Isotek can do to enhance your hi-fi!

Don't forget we will also have exclusive Isotek offers and a prize draw - watch this space for more details very soon!  

Do come along after 4pm on Friday 4th September (until 8pm) or between 10am and 6pm on Saturday 5th.

In the words of Keith Martin, founder and Managing Director - think power, think Isotek! 

Arcam A29 Integrated Stereo Amplifier Now In Store

Arcam have now released their new A29 stereo amplifier. This new amp completes the range of integrated stereo amplifiers available from Arcam consisting of the A19 , A29 , A39, A49.

The new A29 boasts an impressive 80w p/c into 8 ohms or 175w p/c into 4 ohms. It does this using class G amplification which makes the amplifier highly efficient while still maintaining exceptionally low levels of distortion.

We have put it through its paces and in no way does it disappoint, pitched at £995 it will definitely have other manufacturers looking over their shoulders.

If you are thinking of buying a stereo amplifier at this kind of price level then the Arcam A29 is a must for your audition list.

To arrange a demonstration give us a call on 01772 883958.

Arcam is also available from the following branches of Audio T: Brentwood, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Manchester, Oxford,Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Swansea, Swindon 

Audioquest Jitterbug - Best £40 Upgrade for your Hi-Fi?

Just arrived in Portsmouth the new Audioquest Jitterbug USB Data and Power Noise Filter.

All you have to do is plug this USB filter into any audio based USB socket, like in our Naim Superuniti pictured above. Or you can use it in-line with any USB cable, for example going to a USB DAC.

It makes an obvious improvement/change to the sound of the system, making it more refined. It also seems to reduce the noise floor, and generally makes the system sound cleaner.

Come in for a demo and hear for yourself!

The Audioqest Jitterbug is available on home loan or if there is no demo unit available, on sale or return from the following branches of Audio T:  Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham, Enfield, Portsmouth, Swindon

The Spendor D7's Reveal Some Hidden Depths.

Having listened to the Spendor D7's for many months we can certainly say that they deliver music in a fresh vibrant realism that many speakers cannot match at this price level. No doubt this is mostly due to some important innovations at Spendor.

Spendor's humble beginnings go back to the mid sixties. At the time speaker development work at the BBC had advanced to a stage that was beyond the capabilities of the available paper pulp coned drive units. So it was decided to experiment with various plastics. Here is an excerpt from the journal of the founder of Spendor, Spencer Hughes (1924-1983:

"My part as a laboratory technician in the operation, was to do most of the actual work both on the plastic investigation, and development of the LS5/5. With that experience I decided that it should be possible to make a loudspeaker from scratch in the home environment. With the aid of our electric fire, a compressor working in reverse and an old iron bedstead, the first vacuum former was built. Bins full of malformed cones were produced before any measure of success was achieved and the first 8 inch unit was produced. This turned out as the first commercial 8 inch bextrene driver and still arguably one of the best."

Spendor continue to explore new formulations and the D7 is no exception, the bass mid range cone being made of copolymer with the bass only unit employing Kevlar reinforced skins on a lightweight core.

The new LPZ tweeter is also rather special. Built around a stainless steel front plate that forms an acoustic chamber in front of the diaphragm which in turn equalizes the sound wave and provides a symmetrical pressure environment so the tweeter actually operates in a balanced linear mode. This coupled with the other drivers give an honest portrayal of the music being played with vocals and instrument timber being remarkably neutral.

The photo above shows the Linear Flow port. Designed to work with the dynamic damping and looking somewhat like an aeroplane wing, assures the smooth flow of air both in and out of the cabinet. This is tuned to a low 27Hz which reduces port distortion and gives a practical in room bass extension down to 30Hz.

With a nominal impedance of 8ohms and a sensitivity of 90dB/W they are an easy drive for any amplifier and will also be well suited to valve equipment. We have been listening to them with the new Nytech CP202/CPA402 pre-power combination (more on these in the next blog) and it has been magical.

Last but not least is the rigid plinth and spikes mountings situatated on all four corners, ensure the D7's have a stable and sure footing. 

So pop  in with your favourite music and have a listen.

Spendor is a speaker brand that is also available at our Cheltenham store.

Spendor A5R Floorstanding Loudspeaker

The new Spendor A5R is the replacement for the original A5. It has benefited from technical improvements developed during the design of the High End D7 loudspeaker. 

The new 15cm bass driver utilises an advanced polymer cone and an ultra light Kevlar piston to give ultra fast and seamless bass/mid performance. High frequencies are produced by a newly designed 22mm wide surround dome tweeter utilising fluid cooling.

The A5Rs have a sealed cabinet so it doesn't suffer from many of the problems associated with a reflex cabinets and allows easy placement of the speakers in virtually any room.

The cabinets have been significantly improved from the A5 and now offer asymmetric bracing and a new dynamic damping system. By isolating the front radiating surfaces from the rear surfaces the A5R has managed to remove the effect of bass smearing often associated with smaller floor standing loudspeakers.

On listening all of these improvements that have been made are clearly apparent. Bass is tight, deep and very tuneful. This integrates seamlessly with the open and detailed midrange. Coupled with the 22mmm fluid cooled tweeter that offers a sweet and highly detailed top end.The A5Rs really are a significant improvement over the original A5.

Specifications

Type 2.5 Way Floor Standing

HF Unit 22mm Wide Surround dome with Fluid Damping

MF/LF Unit 150mm ep77 Polymer Cone

LF Unit 150mm Kevlar Composite Cone

Sensitivity 87dB for 1 Watt at 1 Metre

Impedance 8 Ohms

Power Handling 150W (Unclipped)

Cabinet Size 830mm x 165mm x 250mm (H x W x D)

The A5R is available in the following real wood veneers:

Black Ash, Cherry, Light Oak and Dark Walnut.

These speakers are available for demonstration. If you are looking for a compact floorstanding loudspeaker with exceptional performance the A5Rs are a must listen.

Spendor Loudspeakers are also available at our Cardiff store.

Audeze EL-8 headphones. You'll be el-8-ed.

In the market for a new pair of headphones.

Introducing the new entry level open back Audeze EL-8 headphone. 

Designed by BMW Designwork, BMW's very own design house. 

Fit and finish is class leading and very comfortable, as you would expect.

Although they look like conventional headphones they are in fact very different, using the worlds most advanced planar magnetic technology.

The cutting edge headphone capsule design includes Audeze's trade mark technologies :

FLUXOR™ MAGNETIC TECHNOLOGY

UNIFORCE™ DIAPHRAGM TECHNOLOGY

FAZOR™ TECHNOLOGY

The headphone cable uses a very nifty lightning-esque type connection. Great for when you need to pack them away.

All this adds up to a well balanced, sonically cohesive sound for prolonged listening sessions.

The EL-8's are available in closed back and open back configurations which can both be used with portable devices.

Yes Chromey, Audeze is pronounced like the word odyssey. Well done.

So, remember if you want a pair of headphones to, hyperstimul-8, be immacul-8, invigor-8,articul-8,scintill-8,

step up to the pla-8 and make a da-8 to come and listen to the Audeze EL-8 at Audio-T Manchester. 

You can request a demo through our website and it is available for demonstration at our Bristol store. You can read more about the Audeze El-8 on their website.

See you soon.

Munir, Kev, Mike and Dave

Audio T Autumn Hi-Fi Extravaganza!

Summer (did I blink?)  may be starting to fade away but we have lots of exciting audio events planned this Autumn to keep our spirits up!

The evenings may soon be drawing in but that's just an excuse to play more music!  What can be better than a cosy evening at home, feet up with a glass of your favourite tipple, a log fire crackling in the hearth and your favourite tunes playing on a great hi-fi system.

To assist you with this goal we will be hosting a number of events showcasing some great hi-fi brands as well as demonstrating the massive improvements possible when attention is paid to signal and mains cabling and conditioning.

Event number one is 4pm - 8pm on Friday September 4th plus 10am - 6pm on Saturday 5th and will be all about the benefits of mains cabling and conditioning with Isotek products.  At least one Isotek technical expert will be on hand to explain the principles of their products and to demonstrate the clear and dramatic upgrades which can be made to any audio or visual system.  

Event 2 is a week later at the same times, i.e. 4pm - 8pm September 11th and 10am - 6pm Saturday 12th.  On this occasion we will be featuring range topping Cyrus Signature Hi-Fi components and The Chord Company interconnects and speaker cables including the awesome Sarum and Super Aray range!

Nick from Cyrus will be here with at least two Mono X 300 Signature power amplifiers, maybe four or, if we are really lucky, six to drive our PMC Twenty 26 speakers to audio perfection!  Matt from Chord will ensure that everything is connected with the best possible cables.

We take a (well-deserved?) break the next week to ensure that Event 3 is perfectly timed for the official launch of the Rega Queen turntable.  Friday September 25th is the day we can release the first of these much anticipated and eagerly awaited special record decks.

As if this isn't enough excitement we are delighted that Mark from Hundred Records in Romsey will be here during the evening of the 25th (6pm - 8pm) and all day Saturday 26th (10am - 6pm) running a pop-up record store with a selection of great vinyl for you to browse and buy, and, even better, if you confirm an order very soon, you may even be able to collect your brand new Rega Queen turntable and the stunning  Queen box set during the event!

Containing all 15 studio albums re-mastered by Bob Ludwig onto 18 different coloured 180g LPs with a 108 page hardback book of album intros, lyrics, quotes and photographs and memorabilia this is a must have for any Queen fan, music lover or vinyl collector.

Please be aware that both the Queen turntables and box sets are creating such a buzz that demand is exceptionally high and neither Audio T or Hundred Records can guarantee that orders will be available to collect on the 25th or 26th September.  All orders will be honoured and those placing orders the soonest stand the most chance of collecting during the event.

Rob from Rega will also be with us on the Saturday.  Get here early if you want a chance to buy LPs from Mark or Rob will beat you to it!  

We will have at least two great turntable based Rega systems running in store, including the mighty RP10 through Aria and Elicit R with our newly arrived RX5 speakers.  You really won't want to miss this event.

Finally, nudging into October Event 4 will be featuring Arcam with both James and technical expert Andy joining us to explain and demonstrate the stunning performance of their new G class amplification.  Our brand new arrival A29 plus A39, A49 and maybe even C49 and P49 will all be available to listen to.

Not only will Matt from Chord visit again to ensure that only the best Sarum cables link the Arcam components to our favourite PMC Twenty 26 speakers but we are delighted that Tom from PMC will also attend to answer any PMC queries.

All of this Arcam, Chord and PMC action will commence between 4pm - 8pm Friday 2nd October and continue during Saturday 3rd from 10am - 6pm

That's all for now!  Watch this space for further updates as the events evolve and unfold.

Best mark them in your diary now and don't forget to place any Rega Queen and box set orders as soon as possible!

See you soon,

Alan and John

P.S. There will be exclusive prize draws at each of these events.  Another good reason to come along!

Latest Additions - Audioquest, Ruark, and Teac

Three great new reasons to visit Audio-T Portsmouth.

1. Audioquest Nighthawk headphones. These excellent new headphones are a must to audition at £499. They are super comfortable, and have a very clean and open sound while also retaining a smoothness that makes them easy to listen to for long periods.

2. New Ruark R4 £649.95

The new R4 has a few differences compared to the older model. Gone is the dock on the top but it now comes with Bluetooth instead. It's slightly smaller but Ruark have still managed to improve the sound, and they have also improved the usability.

3. Teac TN-300 Turntable £299.95 (Cherry pictured)

We have added this glossy looking turntable to our range for several reasons. Apart from the great looks, it has the flexibilty to plug straight into any system with an auxiliary input due to it's built in switchable phono stage. It also has a USB output. Changing from 33 to 45 rpm is also switched easily.

Chord Electronics Hugo TT DAC & Headphone Amplifier

You better? You better? You bet.

 

Here we have the Chord Electronics Hugo TT. A version of the Chord Hugo (which you can read about in an earlier blog here) but with several enhancements. The first question off everybody's lips seems to be, is it better than the original Hugo.

As a portable headphone amplifier come dac the Hugo certainly excelled and if you found it useful in its other guises i.e. stand-alone dac or dac come pre amp then you were most definitely onto a winner for not a lot of money (in relative terms).

The TT builds on what the original offered by making it a better proposition when putting into a system. Like the Hugo the TT is a headphone amp/dac/pre amp but with more than a couple of tweaks to make it a more suitable fit in a home system. It's bigger than the original Hugo and picking it up you can certainly tell that it is milled from a solid block of metal. Though it still runs off a battery it is not really portable. It feels reassuringly solid and well built as all Chord products do.

Unlike the Hugo it has a display to show you what input you have selected and if you wish it will display the sample rate of the music you are playing. It also comes with a remote control. On the front panel you have 2x large headphone sockets and 1x mini headphone socket, along with the afore mentioned display, an input selector button and a cross-feed selector. Around the back you have a (technically correct) BNC coaxial input an optical input and 2x USB B asynchronous inputs (more of which later). They have not forgotten about outputs as you get a pair of fully balanced XLR's and a pair RCA's.

Although the dac circuitry is the same as the Hugo the TT has been substantially changed in other areas. The battery has double the power of the Hugo and is backed up with a supercapacitor. These two tweaks enable the TT to cope better when the music demands, making the unit more capable in the way it handles dynamics and transients. The headphone amp is more powerful meaning it will drive even the most demanding headphone while always having something in reserve. I mentioned the 2x USB inputs. One is labelled SD and the other HD. They both handle music up to the same resolution but the HD input has been galvanically isolated ridding the sound of all of the inherent interference you get with USB outputs you find on computers. I didn't know that the usual implementation of galvanic isolation only works up to 48khz or 96khz at best, Chord have managed to get it working up to 384khz. Quite a feat and you can hear it.

The TT sounds no less informative than the Hugo but does so in a creamier way. It definitely sounds more in control with no edgyness to the sound what so ever. We have used it in the shop with an array of different products. As a dac we have used it with various streamers to great effect. It will also work flawlessly with the Melco N1A audio Nas we have in store (This product is definately worth a look if you haven't seen it already link here). Combined with the Melco the Hugo TT could give you the perfect streaming solution. We have tried it with various power amps and active speaker systems and it never sounded out of place. Of course we have tried it with lots of different headphones, including: Audeze EL8's and LCD 3's, Fostex ATH900's, Sennheiser HD600's, 700's and the difficult 800. It dealt with everything really well without drawing attention to itself and is a pleasure to listen to.

As ever don't take my word for it. It's here at the Bristol branch so come on in and have a listen.

Also available at our Brentwood, Brighton, Cardiff, Reading, Southampton, and Swansea stores.